Cheltenham crash-victim's mum to run marathon for Spinal Research

MARATHON mum Sheila Chatterley is on course to raise a mammoth £2,500 for Spinal Research – almost a decade after her son was paralysed in a car crash.

The 60-year-old from Prestbury, Cheltenham, is putting herself through the paces as she attempts to run the London Marathon for the very first time next month.

But she said she would not have had the courage to have taken part in the famous run if she didn't think the money raised would have a positive impact for people like her 27-year-old son, Joe.

And she has vowed she will do everything she can to help find a cure for his paralysis.

Sheila said she was ready for the challenge.

"I have never done anything like it before," she said.

"I have run half marathons as part of my training but this is something different.

"I took up running four years ago to keep fit but, during training, the runs have become longer and longer. Hopefully it will pay off."

More than 40,000 people in the UK are paralysed as a result of spinal cord damage.

Spinal Research's aim is to perfect a treatment that could restore feeling and mobility to people who have been paralysed.

Important

Sheila said: "My son Joe had a road traffic accident in 2004 and is now in a wheelchair, which is why this charity in particular is so important to me. Joe has coped very well with his injury – he's tried not to let it affect all his life.

"But, having gone through something like that, it makes you want to help find a cure that may give people like him a better quality of life.

"I am asking for people to support me by making a donation."

Sheila is arranging a charity evening on April 6 at the Women's Institute in Prestbury to raise money for the cause.

Tickets are £20 and people can support her fundraising efforts by booking tables for either eight or ten people.